Conventionally, there is widely and generally known an XY-robot component mounting apparatus configured to move a mounting head independently in an X direction and a Y direction, which includes a substrate conveyor-positioner unit to be arranged on a supporting base for conveying and positioning a substrate in an X direction (a right-to-left direction), supporting frames arranged in a standing manner on both ends in the X direction of this supporting base so as to straddle the substrate conveyor-positioner unit, Y-axis tables arranged in a Y direction (a back-to-front direction) on the both supporting frames, X-axis tables laid between movable portions arranged on upper or lower surfaces of the both Y-axis tables, a mounting head arranged on a movable portion provided on a front face of the X-axis table, and a component supplying unit or component supplying units arranged on any of a front part, a rear part, and both parts of the supporting base.
Meanwhile, there are also disclosed a component mounting apparatus including a plurality of nozzles provided on the mounting head for holding components by suction, and a component mounting apparatus provided with a plurality of mounting heads on the X-axis table so as to allow the respective mounting heads to mount components on corresponding substrates severally.
Various component mounting apparatuses of the above-described configurations are already well known (Japanese Patent No. 2858453, for example).
However, a typical XY-robot component mounting apparatus as described above is configured to repeat operations of holding a component by suction at the component supplying unit with the mounting head, then moving the mounting head in the X and Y directions and thereby positioning the mounting head in a position for mounting the component on the substrate, then mounting the component on the substrate with the mounting head, and then moving the mounting head back to the component supplying unit for holding another component to be mounted subsequently. Accordingly, an operation sequence required for mounting one component takes a long time. Therefore, in order to mount numerous components efficiently on a substrate, it is necessary to configure a mount line by arranging numerous component mounting apparatuses in the direction of conveying the substrate. In addition, the supporting frames for supporting the Y-axis tables are arranged on the both ends in the X direction and the mounting heads are configured to move inside the supporting frames in the X direction, resulting in enlargement of the component mounting apparatus in the X direction. Therefore, the mount line becomes extremely large and thereby develops problems of increases in equipment costs and high mounting costs.
Meanwhile, a regular type of component mounting apparatus configured to arrange an X-axis robot on a Y-axis robot develops a problem that the substrate size and the number of arrangement of component supplying means are limited if a width dimension in the X direction is set constant because of a restriction of a space for disposing the Y-axis robot and a restriction of a movable range for a mounting head on the X-axis robot. On the other hand, in order to secure the substrate size and the number of arrangement of component supplying means, the width in the X direction of the device is increased so that the device fails to achieve compact mounting equipment by reducing the width dimension of the device.
Meanwhile, when the plurality of nozzles are provided on the mounting head, it is possible to reduce operating time per component to some extent because it is possible to reduce the number of times that the mounting head moves between the component supplying unit and the substrate. However, since such reduction in operating time has a limitation, there is a demand for a component mounting apparatus which can achieve further enhancement in mounting efficiency and reduction in equipment costs.
Meanwhile, in the configuration of attaching the plurality of mounting heads to the X-axis table as well, an operation of holding components and a mounting operation still involve serial operations of the respective mounting heads. Although the operation efficiency may be improved to some extent as some of the operations can be carried out simultaneously, this component mounting apparatus is basically configured to perform the same mounting operation as the case of increasing the numbers of the nozzles. Therefore, the component mounting apparatus has a limitation of efficiency in the mounting operation, and also develops a problem that it is difficult to ensure mounting accuracy when the plurality of mounting heads are provided.
In view of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a component mounting apparatus which is capable of performing operations efficiently and accurately while achieving a compact configuration.